UnitedHealth Group Weekly Dose Podcast

Technology has transformed and streamlined the way Americans access the care they need. However, for many Americans – especially those in historically underserved communities – the health system feels fragmented and disjointed.In the final episode of our three-part podcast deep dive into A Path Forward, Dr. Carolyn Brooks, Vice President of Quality, Strategy, Innovation and Experience at UnitedHealthcare Medicare and Retirement, and Dr. Wyatt Decker, CEO of Optum Health, discuss policy solutions that can help address health disparities, advance health equity and improve the health care experience for both consumers and providers.Click here for more information on A Path Forward. 

UnitedHealth Group is committed to a future where every person has access to high-quality, affordable health care and a modern, high-performing health system that reduces disparities, improves outcomes and lessens the burden of disease.This is the second episode in a three-part deep dive into A Path Forward, UnitedHealth Group's policy solutions that offer a refreshed perspective for how to modernize the health system to:Achieve universal coverage by building on and strengthening the current system.Make health care affordable by accelerating value-based care, using high-value sites of service, reforming prescription drug pricing and eliminating wasteful spending.Transform the health care experience by focusing on equity and addressing disparities, expanding and diversifying the health care workforce and empowering consumers and clinicians with actionable information.The second episode of our three-part series features Dirk McMahon, President and Chief Operating Officer at UnitedHealth Group and Heather Cianfrocco, CEO at Optum Rx, discussing ways to make the health system more affordable for consumers, employers and governments. Click here for more information on A Path Forward. 

UnitedHealth Group is committed to a future where every person has access to high-quality, affordable health care and a modern, high-performing health system that reduces disparities, improves outcomes and lessens the burden of disease.This is the first episode in a three-part deep dive into A Path Forward, UnitedHealth Group's policy solutions that offer a refreshed perspective for how to modernize the health system to:Achieve universal coverage by building on and strengthening the current system.Make health care affordable by accelerating value-based care, using high-value sites of service, reforming prescription drug pricing and eliminating wasteful spending.Transform the health care experience by focusing on equity and addressing disparities, expanding and diversifying the health care workforce and empowering consumers and clinicians with actionable information.The first episode in our three-part series features Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, and Kristi Henderson, CEO of Optum Everycare, who discuss how to expand access to coverage and care in the U.S., including through innovative coverage and virtual capabilities.Click here for more information on A Path Forward. 

The pandemic has taken a huge toll on children across the nation. This increase in need for mental health support has led more children and adolescents to seek behavioral health care.In this week's episode, Dr. Yusra Benhalim, Senior National Medical Director at Optum Behavioral Health discusses: How the pandemic has impacted children and adolescents.Innovative ways that Optum has been approaching youth mental health. Resources parents can access to support their children.

UnitedHealthcare's Center for Advanced Analytics aims to improve well-being by engaging with clinical-intervention programs. These programs work to address social determinants of health for people in employer-sponsored benefit plans. In this week's episode, Craig Kurtzweil, leader of UnitedHealthcare's Center for Advanced Analytics, discusses: What the five costliest conditions are.The significant drivers behind those conditions. How preventive care can assist in lowering costs. Read the full report here. 

One of the most common reasons for emergency room visits are oral health needs. In fact, many people visit their dentist more frequently than their primary care provider. Earlier this year, UnitedHealthcare launched a virtual dental benefit. Patients can now seek virtual care for acute needs, triage before an in-person appointment and receive post-op follow-up care. In this episode, Colleen Van Ham, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Dental, discusses:How virtual dentistry works.The benefits virtual dentistry can provide.How virtual dentistry can improve access to preventive care.

Telehealth and telemedicine are just the beginning of a new future of serving patients where they need it most. Optum's Office for Provider Advancement embodies it's three pillars of research, excellence and partnership to better the provider and patient experience. In this episode, Dr. Amy Nguyen Howell from Optum's Office for Provider Advancement, discusses:How the patient and provider experience has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.What the Office does to meet patient and provider needs.Upcoming research and projects from the Office. 

Clinician burnout has long been a concern for health care workers, but the pandemic has shed new light on the issue and related workforce concerns. The Center for Clinician Advancement at UnitedHealth Group focuses on improving clinician engagement and retention, including ways to address burnout. In this episode, UHG's Mary Jo Jerde, explains: How the Center works to address clinician burnout. The importance of a healthy work-life balance. Why there's optimism for the future of the workforce. 

As the FDA went about the critical work of evaluating the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, the agency tapped Optum Scientific Consulting, with a 25-year history of evaluating drugs and vaccines. In this episode, Optum's Chief Scientific Officer John Seeger explains: Optum Scientific Consulting's history of evaluating drugs and vaccines.The group's partnership with the FDA to evaluate COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11. The broader impact and promise of data on drug and vaccine safety. 

Health care has long suffered from too much friction, which adds billions of dollars in costs to the system and creates more challenges for both consumers and providers. In this episode, Optum Insight's Shea Helmle discusses the biggest friction points in health care and how companies are using data to identifying and eliminate friction to improve patient care. 

Following a significant rise in virtual care during the pandemic, insurers see new opportunities to connect members with virtual first health plans that can expand access to care and help providers manage chronic disease. New offerings – including UnitedHealthcare's NavigateNOW – are providing 24/7 access to primary, behavioral and urgent care in a way that can help patients easily navigate the health system. Karen Silgen, vice president of virtual care at UnitedHealthcare, joins the Weekly Dose podcast to discuss the growing interest in virtual first health plans and the impact they can have for providers and consumers. 

Instead of pursuing traditional mergers and acquisitions, more hospitals are seeking external partnerships that can help them improve revenue cycle management and build new capabilities at scale. Optum Insight's Nick Howell discusses several recent health system partnerships and what it means for the health care industry moving forward.

The use of biosimilar drugs – which mimic existing biologic drugs – could reduce U.S. drug costs by more than $100 billion over the next five years. However, there are still challenges in getting these lower-cost medications into the hands of patients. Savitha Vivian, Senior Vice President, Clinical and Formulary Services at Optum Rx, discusses the pipeline of biosimilar drugs – including a highly-anticipated 2023 launch – and how broader use of biosimilars could improve prescription drug affordability for patients.

Children have suffered tremendous mental stress during the pandemic. A new partnership between Sesame Workshop and UnitedHealthcare, the nation's largest private insurer, aims to teach kids how to be more resilient to help them weather the COVID-19 storm. 

The 2021 America's Health Rankings report paints a complex and nuanced picture of America's health during the COVID-19 pandemic, including reversals of longer term trends across several measures. Some figures in the report appear at first glance to be quite alarming, while others appear surprisingly strong. Dr. Rhonda Randall, Chief Medical Officer of UnitedHealthcare E&I, breaks down the findings with host Ira Apfel.

No area of the health care industry is more competitive than the Direct-to-Consumer market. Startups have emerged, promising to sell generic drugs inexpensively online. Legacy providers are offering telehealth and prescription drugs as well. And now there's big retailers, including Amazon, getting in on the act as well. Here to discuss the trend with host Ira Apfel is Faiz Ahmad, CEO of Optum Direct-to-Consumer.

It's been an incredible year in health care, so we thought this was a good time to look back at where we started, and try to get an idea of where health care is headed for 2022. COVID-19 dominated health care news, of course, but there were many other critical topics, including the expansion of the Affordable Care Act, health equity and disparities, the IPO boom, drug pricing, artificial intelligence, gene therapy, and more. 

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and protests following the death of George Floyd exposed long-standing equity issues in health care. Patients of all races, genders and religions sought more equitable care while health care workers asked for more inclusiveness and respect in the workplace. In the meantime, a business case for health equity began to emerge. According to one study, the U.S. economic output would increase by $2.7 trillion annually if race-based disparities within the health care system were addressed. Health care leaders have taken notice of the need to improve health equity. But it's an enormous challenge and prioritizing measures is no easy task. So how much has changed regarding health equity in the last 18 months? Here to explain what's happening is Joy Fitzgerald, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer with UnitedHealth Group.

One of the most important pieces of health care legislation was signed into law last December. The No Surprises Act was designed to protect consumers from surprise medical bills, those medical bills that come unexpectedly and often with high price tags. But heading into 2022, hospitals and insurers are still trying to determine how to implement the legislation's requirements. So what's at stake with the legislation? And how does it  affect patients, hospitals and insurers? Lisa McDonnel of UnitedHealthcare and Michael Wentzien of Naviguard explain in this week's episode. 

It's been more than 20 years since scientists completed the first draft of the human genome. Decoding the human genetic blueprint held so much promise that it was even lauded by President Clinton. Yet, genomics has yielded surprisingly little by way of health care innovation -- until now? Dr. Jill Hagenkord of Optum Genomics joins Weekly Dose Podcast host Ira Apfel to discuss a potential new advancement in the field of genomics.